Five plumbers arrested through HMRC clampdown

FIVE PEOPLE have been arrested as part of HM Revenue & Customs crackdown on plumbers who are failing to pay their taxes.

HMRC announced that, alongside the five criminal investigations, around 600 plumbers are under investigation. None of these investigations involves any of the 600 people that came forward as part of the Plumber Tax Safe Plan, it is understood. Some of the plumbers under investigation owe up to £150,000, HMRC has confirmed.

More raids are taking place over the coming weeks in Yorkshire, Kent, Cambridgeshire, Tyne & Wear, Midlands and South Wales.

John Pointing, assistant director of HMRC criminal investigations, said this was the culmination of months of work by HMRC. "We provided a chance for those we have arrested, and the 600 we are investigating, to come forward voluntarily and put things right," he said. "These arrests send a clear message that HMRC will take action against those who choose not to come forward and pay the tax they owe."

Mike Wells, director of HMRC's risk and intelligence service, said: "These arrests are just the start. HMRC is considering hundreds of further cases for criminal investigation in the plumbing and medical professions. Some people may have thought we were bluffing when we said we have information that we will use to prosecute tax evasion."